The designs of Francesco De Cave, deeply evocative and widely acclaimed across a range of genres, from ceremonies, festivals, international tours, sports events, and television specials, use fixtures made by the Italian company DTS Illuminazione.
Francesco De Cave has been lighting live shows for the past 29 years, including for some of Italy’s most important music artists, such as Laura Pausini, to name just one. His dedication, creativity, and self-demand have made him one of the industry’s experts in the art of stage lighting.
De Cave began his career in the professional lighting world in 1995, working for small rental companies. Shortly after, he joined a leading rental company in Italy, where he learned to use all the materials available at that time in Europe. He later ventured as a full-time operator in renowned Italian television programs.
At that time, acquiring information and images of large productions from around the world was not easy; however, he never missed a Pink Floyd show, concerts that influenced him during his training as a designer, programmer, and lighting operator.
Francesco De Cave’s evolution in the professional lighting industry was rapid. In his early days, access to new technologies was limited. “I was hungry to work with new products. From the beginning, I always tried to use cutting-edge products. I didn’t sit back and wait for things to happen; I went out and sought them. I started as a lighting designer, and today I am responsible for the entire event: direction, set design, visuals. In Italy, I also work for RTI, where I am the director of photography for their most important programs,” Francesco commented.
This evolution led him to incorporate fixtures made by DTS Illuminazione into his designs. Together they became synonymous with professional lighting in Italy.
“The fixtures I choose for my shows must have great brightness and luminosity, along with high-quality lighting. An absolute necessity is to correctly illuminate the faces of the artists, and that should be done with projectors with these same characteristics,” said De Cave.
DTS products work very well for what the LD needs. “They provide an excellent light source and a pleasant visual background,” Francesco noted. “I love the optics, clean beams, and the range of whites on camera.”
The lighting designer for Laura Pausini considers the Beam, the Strobe, and Katana LED bars from DTS to be essential for his setups. He assured, “Today it’s impossible to work without them.”
The relationship between DTS and Francesco De Cave began over a decade ago when the Italian manufacturer introduced the then-new Evo, undoubtedly a fixture that would become the industry standard for live entertainment. “I saw it and immediately believed in that product. I started using it in my major productions right away,” Francesco De Cave acknowledged.
“DTS products are reliable, have all the qualities I look for in lighting equipment, and they are Italian. Moreover, incorporating DTS into my lighting platform offers me many imaginative possibilities,” said the lighting designer.
“In all the productions I direct, DTS products are specified. For example, we used the Evo, a small spot that produces a lot of light and was able to create great effects; the Synergy, for its power and quality; the Katana bar, which was cutting-edge in its market entry and has impressive TILT movement; and the Brick, a super-bright and compact wash light that can be the foundation of any lighting design. Synergy and Katana are my favorite fixtures,” Francesco De Cave stated. “My experience with DTS products has been and continues to be wonderful. They are very good products. To this day, I still use them. DTS products have facilitated my way of working.”
For the lighting designer, color is everything. “Each song has a color, but you don’t realize it until you start working on it! The color temperature, especially for faces, is key for good photography,” Francesco emphasized.
De Cave creates his designs using Capture and operates the lighting with one of his 6 Hog 4 consoles.
Analyzing his relationship with the DTS brand, Francesco De Cave confirmed, “I have always had direct contact with DTS; they are a great company, always willing to meet my needs and adjust small details. DTS technicians and management are always ready to answer a phone call, even late at night when necessary.”
Currently, LDs choose DTS more than ever for the most important shows. The Alchemy and Synergy series have invaded the stages of major stadium concerts. The new fresnels, Tenore and Soprano, launched at this year’s Prolight + Sound fair in Frankfurt, have become the top choice for the most demanding European theaters.
Creativity is always on the move. The willingness to move with its incessant flow is what makes the difference between art and imitation. Like a long list of creatives in all fields who preceded him, Francesco De Cave has embraced this principle to the core. Following it has helped him take his lighting designs to new and bold places.
Comfortable and confident in his approach to design, De Cave constantly reevaluates the technology he employs in his work. However, what is never missing from his lighting designs are DTS fixtures.
The lighting designer, born in the Italian city of Nettuno in Lazio, is always ready to accept new challenges. He loves what he does and is always looking for the next project that will give him goosebumps. The moment a television studio or a large arena dims the lights and the audience’s energy rises, Francesco De Cave’s creation will come to life. And that life will be brought by the power of DTS fixtures. It is at that moment when the world can see the quality “Made in Italy.”
